Sad news! The Karlstad sofa has been discontinued and is no more. We’ll be giving it a proper send-off, and taking the new replacement line for a test sit.
We’ve also received reports that individual stores are clearing out stocks. It’s a great shame that this very popular line is moving on, so let’s take a moment and remember all the good times that your Karlstad had as well as the pretty sofa covers you could get:
Alright now that’s over with, let’s move to where the party’s at. So who’s the new kid on the block?
The IKEA Landskrona
…And he looks very familiar to the guy on the way out. Yes, the Landskrona is available now in IKEA but only in tufted leather options for now. Word from our reputable source says that there will be fabric options coming soon – but if you can’t wait we could build custom slipcover for you!
The good thing about the Landskrona – I couldn’t see this anywhere else other than a professional office / sophisticated modern apartment. Just like the Karlstad, Landskrona also comes in a lot of configurations; loveseats, armchairs, and even conversation pits. One of the most versatile sofas from IKEA and it’s great to see this being carried on to its successor.
Needless to say when this came out, we toddled down to our local IKEA and tested it out in real life. It’s hard to tell at first glance but the main difference between the Karlstad and Landskrona would be the positioning of the sofa legs.
You can see that for the Karlstad, the legs are directly below the armrests while the legs of the Landskrona is underneath the body base – I guess IKEA is trying to go for the more modern, possibly Scandinavian look.
In terms of comfort, the leather Landskrona isn’t that comfortable in my opinion – think leather Karlstad. The cushions are very firm which is good for support but not so much for comfort. Tufting is also mandatory for now, which might not appeal to everyone.
Seating is pretty deep in as well, which means if you’re “vertically challenged” (I’m 5′ 10″) then the floor might be a reach too far. The tufting might have created this illusion as well, since it compresses the puffiness a bit – we tried the Landskrona, and went to sit on a fabric Karlstad to see the difference. The leather Landskrona just seemed “flatter” in the rear region.
The armrest is just like the seat: firm. In a pinch it’ll do for a makeshift seat but probably not highly recommended since the legs have been re-positioned so I’m not entirely sure hold up – I didn’t dare push its boundaries and buy another sofa I didn’t need.
Similarly to the Karlstad, the 2 and 3 seater are rather hard to tell apart as they have the same number of seat+back cushions. AND, there’s another discontinued leather sofa called the Karlsfors that looks identical to the Karlstad but seems to be a bit smaller. No one really knew much about the Karlsfors, it just came and left like a wandering spirit…
IKEA also offers a choice of wooden or metal legs for the Landskrona so you can customize your sofa to be homey or modern. Oh btw just in case you guys aren’t aware, we’ve also recently launched our very own line of legs for your IKEA sofa 🙂
This way to IKEA sofa replacement legs
Verdict:
Overall, we gave the Landskrona an 7/10! Great choice, firm support and nothing but improvements on the classic Karlstad design – meaning the Landskrona has a bright future ahead. The only thing that could be improved on is the price (US$779/AUD$1,049) – but as they’re currently only available in bycast leather sofas, we’re accepting of it for now.
Design: 7
Comfort: 6
Versatility: 8
Overall : 7 out of 10
Are the Landskrona covers offered by IKEA very limited? Check out our fabric collection of more than 70 styles (with various functions as well) here:
34 Comments
by Ahmed
I’m really upset that karlstad is off , i want to attach a piece to my three seat sofa.
What can I do now?????
by Chuck
We’re quite disappointed too!
It might take a little searching – usually gumtree, craigslist or ebay might have secondhand Karlstad pieces that you might want so you can try looking there!
Good luck!
by Cat
Will the Landskrona slip cover work on my karlstad?
by Chuck
Hey Cat,
There aren’t any Landskrona slipcovers in the market yet as the original Landskrona series are upholstered. If you have a Karlstad, you can look for Karlstad slipcovers here instead: http://comfort-works.com/en/karlstad-sofa-covers-70
Hope this helps!
by Brittny
Have you heard from anybody that tried a 3-seat Karlstad slip cover on a 3-seat Landskrona? The sizes between the two couches are fairly similar; the Karlstad runs a bit bigger (by 1.5″ at the most) but I’m just not sure what it would look like when on the couch.
Thanks!
by Chuck
Hey Brittny!
We haven’t yet but we’d imagine it to be very similar as the measurements aren’t too far off. However do note that the original Landskrona is upholstered, while the Karlstad was originally slipcovered so using the Karlstad slipcovers on the Landskrona would not be outright possible – some DIY velcro stapling may be needed to make it work.
Alternatively if you were to get long-skirt Karlstad slipcovers, then it should be quite simple to put over the Landskrona 🙂
That’s our theory at least, we’ll let you know when someone does try it out!
by Leanne Macrae
We’ve had a black leather Landskrona for about a year now and I am quite regretful. It is most definitely not the most comfortable couch I have owned and the lack of option for headrest has my back and neck are killing me. If you don’t plan to sit on this couch a lot it looks lovely but if you are even remotely tile and would like to rest your head at the end of the day you’re going to be out of luck!! At least the Karlstad Had the option to purchase headrests for…
IKEA really needs to be playing my chiropractic bills !! Wish I could return it
by Trond
I live in Norway and have just bought a 3 seat Karlstad sofa. We still have it! In two types of grey and 3 seat only though.